Adjustable wrench



June 9, 1942. V c. MEAD 50 ADJUSTABLE "WRENCH FiledJune 21, 1940 l I l I l o 1 l I 5 INVENTOR L. C. Mead ATTORNEYS Patented June 9, 1942 UNITED STATES PATNT QFFICE ADJUSTABLE WRENCH Lawrence C. Mead, Whittier, Calif.

Application June 21, 1940, Serial No. 341,654

1 Claim.

This invention relates to self-adjusting wrenches, and particularly represents improvements over the wrench shown in my copending application No. 278,880, filed June 13, 1939, now Patent No. 2,223,306, dated Nov. 26, 1940.

This wrench includes of course fixed and movable jaws and a swinging handle whose movement between fixed limits effects movement of the movable jaw between corresponding limits. I have found that while the extent of movement of the jaw is ample for use on nuts, it is insufficient for use on pipes. At the same time, to increase the swing of the handle so as to obtain a greater jaw movement would be undesirable from the standpoint of convenient manipulation and operation, if not otherwise impracticable.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a wrench, particularly for pipes, in which means is provided for adjusting the closed position of the movable jaw relative to the fixed jaw without-any corresponding handle movement being necessary, while maintaining the same actual extent of movement of the handle and jaw from either of the closed positions of the latter. In this manner, the jaws may be set to handle small pipe or the like, and be quickly and easily adjusted to handle larger pipe, without having to swing the handle any more to obtain the wider setting than for the other.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claim.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the wrench showing the movable jaw set to handle relatively small pipes.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation, showing the movable jaw, when set as in Fig. 1, separated nearly to its limit from the fixed jaw.

Figure 3 is a similar view, showing the movable jaw adjusted to handle larger pipe, the position of the handle necessary to effect such adjustment; the closed position of the movable jaw with such adjustment being indicated in dotted lines.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the body of the wrench comprises spaced side plates I having 55 a straight outer edge 2. Integral with and bridging the plates and extending outwardly from edge 2 for a portion of the length thereof is the fixed jaw 3, whose working side is formed with two faces 4 and 5 disposed at 120 to each other. The outer face 4 is provided with gripping teeth as shown, but the inner face is plain, being disposed at an angle of 120 to the portion of edge 2 extending beyond the fixed jaw.

overhanging plates I and slidably supported on edge 2 beyond jaw 3 is the movable jaw 6, having a toothed working face 1 parallel to face 4 of jaw 3. This angular relationship of the jaw faces relative to each other and to edge 2, While not essential for handling pipe, makes the wrench also suitable for use on hexagonal nuts, if the occasion demands.

The jaw ='6 is formed with a shank 8 slidably guided between the body plates I and having an outer edge parallel to and adjacent edge 2 so as to slidably engage the base of jaw 3, and an inner edge 9 parallel to said outer edge.

Projecting from between plates I in a direction away from the jaws is a handle I0, pivoted on said plates by a rivet I I fixed against rotation in said plates. A spiral spring I2 is disposed about the rivet outwardly of one plate, the spring being fixed at one end on the rivet and at the other end on the handle. This rivet and spring arrangement is the same as disclosed in said copending application; the spring acting to swing the handle in the direction of the outer end of the plates, as shown in Fig. 1.

The shank 8 intermediate its ends is formed with a pair of spaced and deep notches I2 of symmetrical shape cut up from edge 9, the tooth I3 thus formed between the notches terminating short of the line of edge 9 as clearly shown.

The handle I0 above pivot II is formed with a single tooth or cam I4 adapted to engage either notch at a time. The shape of the cam and notches, and their cooperative relation, is the same as the structure of the copending application, being arranged so that when the handle is swung in one direction by the action of spring I2,

the shank 8 and movable jaw will be shifted toward a closed position, while with swinging of the handle in the opposite direction against the spring action, the shank and movable jaw will be slid away from jaw 3, or toward an open position.

Swinging of the handle in a jaw closing direction is limited by a straight shoulder I5 on the handle I0 projecting from the base of the cam on the corresponding side, and of suflicient length to span the gap between notches I2, so as to engage the corresponding portion of shank edge 9 even though the cam is engaged with the notch furthest from said portion, as indicated in Fig. 3. Swinging movement of the handle in the opposite or jaw opening direction is limited by the engagement of another straight shoulder IE on the handle at the base of the cam and on the side thereof opposite shoulder I5, with the corresponding portion of shank edge 9. This shoulder is also of sufiicient length to span a notch l2 so as to engage said edge irrespective of which notch is engaged by the cam.

The cam I4 is disposed and shaped relative to the shoulders l5 and [6 so that the right angle distance A between any point on the adjacent side of the cam and the line of shoulder I6 is slightly less than the right angle spacing B between the line of edge 9 and the base of tooth l3. Thus when, and only when, the shoulder I6 is engaged with edge 9, as shown in Fig. 3, the tooth l3 can pass over the cam, so as to locate the cam in either notch. The point of the cam, however, remains above the line of edge 9, so that the shank cannot slide beyond a position in which the outermost notch will be engaged by the cam.

On the other hand, the right angle distance C between shoulder 15 and the point of the cam is greater than spacing B, so that the shank can never slide relative to the cam when the shoulder 15 is engaged with edge 9.

By reason of this arrangement, therefore, it will be seen that as long as the handle is not swung to its actual limit of movement in a jaw opening direction, the cam cannot leave whichever one of the notches it may be engaged with. When, however, the handle is swung so that shoulder l6 engages shank edge 9, the movable jaw may be shifted, either by gravity or by pressure, so as to relatively transfer the cam to one notch or the other. the same size and shape, the movement of the shank and movable jaw will be the same, for the Due to the notches being of same amount of handle movement, irrespective of the notch engaged.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A wrench comprising a body, a fixed jaw thereon, a movable jaw slidab-ly mounted on the body for movement in a straight line toward and from the fixed jaw, a handle pivoted on the body for rotation through an arc of predetermined length, a shank depending from the movable jaw and having spaced notches cut up in its lower edge in a plane parallel to the line of movement of the movable jaw, a cam tooth on the handle engaging one notch at a time to slide the movable jaw with rotation of the handle; the lower edge of the shank between the notches being relieved; the handle on one side of the tooth having a stop edge of a length to bridge a notch and abut against the lower edge of the shank beyond said notch to limit the movement of the handle in a jaw opening direction; the right angle projection of the tooth above the line of the stop edge being less than the height of the relief between the notches from the lower edge of the shank and a stop edge formed on the handle on the opposite side of the tooth to bridge a notch and abut against the lower edge of the shank beyond said notch to limit the movement of the handle in a jaw opening direction; the right angle projection of the tooth above the last named stop edge being greater than said height of the relief.

, LAWRENCE C. MEAD. 

